Farmers Fighting Hunger

Wed, 2011-03-02 10:32

“Hunger doesn’t take a day off, and neither do ranchers. We must work every day to care for our livestock and provide a safe, nutritious food supply to feed the world. We must all work together to make sure that no child goes to bed with an empty stomach in our country. Especially in difficult financial times, the level of nutrition may slip. It seems easy and cost effective to cut back on meat because it is often the costlier item on the plate. But, beef is a nutrient-dense package that is actually very cost effective. We can ensure that kids get the nutrition they need through lean beef,” says Debbie Lyons-Blythe, one of the cattle ranchers who helped unload 16,000 lbs. of beef at Colorado’s Feeding America Food Bank earlier this year. The donation was made by JBS, and is the largest donation and delivery ever made to the food bank.

Although the U.S. is considered a place where food is abundant, more than 50 million Americans were food insecure in 2009 and did not have consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy lifestyle. The JBS donation helped to raise awareness about the growing issue of food insecurity and demonstrated the beef industry’s commitment to help fight hunger.

Kevin Seggelke, executive director of the Food Bank of the Rockies (Denver, CO) says of the donation, “Beef is gold to us.” It’s nutrient-rich, it’s high-quality protein, which is particularly critical for those people who are food insecure and may not know where their next meal is coming from, he adds.

The entire beef industry is committed to working together to produce high-quality, nutritious beef. Doing what’s right by making charitable donations to those in need is the natural extension to what producers are already doing to feed the world. To learn more about Feeding America, visit www.feedingamerica.org. Do your part and get involved in making a difference for the hungry.

Help educate consumers about how cattle ranchers help fight hunger by raising high-quality beef to feed a growing population by sharing this video: